Masked Ones
The Masked Ones are a mysterious, travelling circus troupe that wear strange animal masks. Despite their odd appearance and behavior, their performances are highly popular in Deltora. History Tales of Deltora The Masked Ones were formed by Ballum, after he was forced to flee the palace. He wore an owls mask to disguise his face after it had been damaged by fire. As he traveled and performed around the country, many others decided to join with him. They to wore masks, so that, if they were attacked, the guards would not know which one was Ballume. As more and more people joined, the troop became larger and more respected in Deltora's north. ''Shadowgate The Masked Ones are encountered by Lief, Barda, and Jasmine on their way to Shadowgate. They are dropped into the secret meadow where the Masked Ones are kept by the ruby dragon. The strongman, Otto, went to investigate, and was killed by the phantom of the Masked One. Lief, Barda, and Jasmine where captured and brought before Bess, leader of the Masked Ones, to be killed on the grounds of spying. However Bess welcomes them because Lief looks similar, if not identical, to her son, Bede. The rest of the Inner Circle despised this decission. On their way to Shadowgate, Lief learns much about the history of the Masked Ones, and of Bess's son, Bede. Bess explains that she wishes for Lief to be her son's replacement, having seen it in her glass ball. However, when the Masked Ones decide to head east again, the companions explain that they won't be following. She asks Lief to wear her sons Mask of Adulthood for one hour before they leave, to which he agrees. Afterwards, she attempts to poison Barda in order to get Lief and Jasmine to remain. However, Kree switches the poisoned drink so that Bess drinks it herself. Jasmine tries to remove her mask to save her, revealing that the masks of adulthood are bonded to the flesh. Many of the adopted "bare faced" members of the troop tore their masks off in disgust and tried to murder the inner circle. However, Rust summoned the barrier moths, who began attacking all non mask wearing individuals. In the chaos, Jasmine manageed to pry the bluebird mask off of Lief before it bonded to his face. Barda chased after the Masked Ones to regain their belongings, but they drugged him and left him on the side of the road. Afterwards, Steven bought the companions goods, and picked up Barda. The Sister of the South'' While the Masked Ones themselves are not mentioned, several former members of the troupe are present at Lief and Jasmine's wedding, including Bede and Zerry. Performances The Masked Ones are a travelling circus, and so do a variety of circus tricks; including acrobatics, juggling, singing and dancing, feats of strength, magic tricks, fortune telling and so on. Once joining the circus, Lief, Barda and Jasmine are assigned to different performances to practice for when they have to join in. Lief (under the guise of "Lewin of Broome") was to be a singer, Jasmine ("Jay") an acrobat, and Barda ("Berry") a strong man. Within the troupe, people participate in a variety of different acts, some more honest than others. Bess is a fortune teller and uses cheap tricks to make her mind reading seem more realistic. The little orphan Zerry is an apprentice magician and uses his thieving skills to make it appear that he has magic. Bede, before his defection, was a singer who could charm birds from the trees and people to the edge of the stage. Masks The Masked Ones, as their name suggests, all wear masks. The masks are never taken off, not even to eat or drink. Inner Circle The masks worn by the inner circle are made, as normal masks are, with glue and fur or feathers or some other material, although appear better quality and more lifelike than those of the normal troupe. But the inside of the mask is coated with a substance made from boiling a variety of root that causes the mask to bond with skin and thus make the mask permanent. A spell may be said over the root because, as shown by Lief during Shadowgate, the mask has the ability to make the wearer believe that they are a true Masked One and are above the 'ugly bareface hangers on'. Lief underwent this exact thought process after wearing Bede's adult mask for an hour before the Masked Ones scatter in Happy Vale. Others in the troupe Those outside of the inner circle wear normal masks that are in no way spelled or permanent. The normal masks are made by those within the troupe, and so appear rattier and poorer quality than those of the inner circle. Category:Troupes Category:Deltorans Category:Post-Adin Deltorans